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Georgian rugby union player From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beka Gigashvili (Georgian: ბექა გიგაშვილი; born 17 February 1992) is a Georgian rugby union player. His position is prop, and he currently plays for RC Toulonnais in the Top 14 and the Georgia national team.[1][2]
Gigashvili in 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 17 February 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Tbilisi, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 118 kg (18 st 8 lb; 260 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gigashvilli was a latecomer to the sport, telling Midi Olympique that he had not seen a rugby match until he was 20 years old. Returning from the army, he was persuaded by a friend to join a training session- six months later, he signed for Spartak GM Moscow in Russia.[3]
In France, Gigashvili helped SO Chambéry win the Jean Prat Trophy at the conclusion of 2016–17 Fédérale 1 season. His former coach, Cyril Villain, described Gigashvili as "versatile", "hard-working", and possessing "very good scrummaging" skills. He signed with Grenoble in 2017.[4]
Following the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Gigashvili signed with Toulon, a move he described as being influenced by previous successful spells at the club for compatriots including Mamuka Gorgodze, Levan Chilachava and Konstantin Mikautadze. He made his debut in a 20-13 win against Bayonne in the 2019-20 European Rugby Challenge Cup in November 2019.[5] He made a strong impression in his first season, bringing stability to the Toulon scrum and winning praise as a powerful carrier, including for his first try for les rouges et noir in a 41-19 win over Clermont.[6] Gigashvili suffered a hamstring injury representing Georgia against Fiji in the Autumn Nations Cup, having started in all their previous games in the competition against England, Wales and Ireland.[7] In February 2021, he renewed his contract with RCT until 2024.[8] At the end of the 2021/22 season, he represented the Barbarians for the first time, starting in a 52-21 win over England at Twickenham Stadium and did the same as Georgia defeated Italy 28-19 in Batumi, his nation's first win over a Six Nations side.[9][10]
Gigashvili began the 2022-23 Top 14 season in good try scoring form, crossing the line in victories against Clermont, Pau and Stade Français.[11][12][13] He was rated as the regular season's best tighthead prop by Midi Olympique, describing him as a 'nightmare' for opponents in the scrum.[14] Gigashvili scored a try and was man-of-the-match as Toulon defeated Benetton Rugby 23-0 to reach the final of the 2022-23 EPCR Challenge Cup, before starting in the final as part of a 43-19 win over Glasgow Warriors at the Aviva Stadium.[15][16]
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